


An Exchange of Ideas

by alateni



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, good shit right there, i saw a single picture on tumblr and my imagination went wild, platonic junhao, prince AU, soonyoung jihoon seungcheol wonwoo vernon seungkwan and chan are mentioned, there's also a small swear word there but it's not much so i kept the rating G, tho i always love writing in prince/princess AU's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 00:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11771574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alateni/pseuds/alateni
Summary: Prince Minghao is, begrudgingly, tasked with playing teacher to visiting prince, Mingyu.Little does he know, Mingyu has a few things things of his own to teach.





	An Exchange of Ideas

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I managed to actually write/post something within a week? The world must be ending...
> 
> Inspired by [this](http://alateni.tumblr.com/post/164051489093) (shamelessly promoting my own Tumblr oops).

“Do I _have_ to?” Minghao whines, rolling around in bed. Junhui, sitting beside him, scoffs at his childish movements but lets the younger prince do as he wishes. “It’s so _boring_. He never does it right either!”

“Maybe you’re just a bad teacher then,” Junhui replies, crossing his leg over the other and resting his hands on his knee – making a very elegant looking figure. That is, until Minghao kicks his leg out and successfully topples Junhui over. The older boy ends up on the floor, a disgruntled but amused look on his face, as Minghao cheers triumphantly and flops back onto the bed.

“I’m not a bad teacher,” Minghao declares. “Hansol turned out fine. I don’t know what’s wrong with this kid.”

“You are literally twelve,” Junhui reminds. He sits up, brushing imaginary dust off of his hair before crawling over to the bed. Resting his face on the soft fabric, Junhui pokes at Minghao’s leg and giggles when the younger boy rolls away.

“I’m _twenty_ ,” Minghao corrects.

“Oh, my bad,” Junhui rolls his eyes. “Practically a grandpa then.”

“You’re only a year older than me, stop acting all high and mighty,” Minghao reminds.

“Says the one whining and rolling around on the bed like a toddler,” Junhui shoots back. “Chan doesn’t even do that. He’s such a good kid, I wish I had him as a brother instead of you.”

“I’m your _cousin_ ,” Minghao grumbles. “And I’d be fine with not being related to you either!”

“That’s a lie, you love me,” Junhui smirks. Minghao doesn’t reply, feeling as if a response would only feed Junhui’s ego. A moment of silence overtakes the two relatives, before Junhui launches himself forwards and successfully lands on top of Minghao. “Hey Hao?”

“What?” Minghao grunts out, body pressed onto the mattress. Junhui didn’t weigh much – his frame was more lean than built and the older prince didn’t like to exercise so there wasn’t a lot of muscle either – but Minghao liked to complain and make Junhui’s life hard so the younger boy whines and laments about death by squishing all the same.

“You realize no matter what you say, you’re going to have to go and tutor him right?” Junhui ignores Minghao’s pleas and cries for help. Both of their personal servants stood outside of the door to Junhui’s room, but they were too old and too tired to deal with this kind of thing. Besides, they had been with Junhui and Minghao for years now, they were used to the squabbling and pranks the two played on each other. Junhui’s mother always told them they’d get into real trouble and nobody would come and help them. For now though, they continued to play around.

“But he’s so _annoying_ ,” Minghao replies. He no longer whines, knowing that doing so would only delay the inevitable, but that doesn’t stop the slight pout in his voice. Junhui coos at that, always enamoured by his younger relative. Honestly, Junhui treated Minghao more as his own child than a younger brother. From fluttering around and keeping him safe to crying over his accomplishments, Junhui was more of a mother than Minghao’s ever was (though, to be fair, she had died giving birth to the boy so Minghao doesn’t _exactly_ blame her). And secretly, Minghao appreciated it. He never felt the absence of his mother too much – mostly because he never knew her. As long as Junhui was there, Minghao was reminded that someone was there who would love him no matter what. Outwardly though? Minghao detested Junhui to the next universe.

“ _You’re_ annoying,” Junhui replies. “But I still love you. Just tolerate the kid and after he finishes his education here you’ll probably never see him again.”

“I still don’t understand why they have to come here,” Minghao sighs. “Or why we have to teach them. There are actually qualified teachers and scholars here? Why are they not doing their jobs? What are they there for?”

“It’s to promote relations or something,” Junhui shrugs. “It’s the first time in a long time that there are so many princes around the same age. They want to make sure we know and like each other so the provinces are happy which means the kingdom is outwardly happy so the king doesn’t have to work as much.”

“That’s stupid,” Minghao says, even though it’s really not. He understands the politics behind it, was practically forced to as a prince. He wasn’t even an important one, one of the minor provinces off to the side. The only reason he was somewhat relevant was because he was a coastal province, so the king had to please his father with promises of trade and fishing rights or whatever. Compared to the central provinces, Minghao wasn’t much. Which was why he got to laze around with Junhui most of the time, instead of getting trained to do more ‘princely’ things like their fellow princes – Jihoon, Soonyoung, and Seungcheol. Now those three, they were going somewhere.

In charge of the three central provinces, they were also the most well-known princes. If the king were to die, the main candidates for the throne would be them. In fact, they already had more power than Minghao or Junhui. In particular, Minghao was already told by his superiors that anything political (whatever that meant) had to go through Soonyoung and his family first before it was brought up to the king. In fact, Soonyoung was in charge of all of the coastal provinces – meaning Junhui and Minghao were both under his jurisdiction as well.

Though some might be jealous of Soonyoung’s power (especially since he was the same age as Junhui), Minghao didn’t really care. Sure, he knew he was capable and could handle more than what he was given, but at the same time, he really did respect Soonyoung. He ran things well, despite his energetic and friendly personality, and got quite serious and strict when he had to get things done. In short, while Minghao wished more people would recognize his own skills, he had to accept that Soonyoung was definitely a better fit for the job. That didn’t mean Minghao was going to stop trying and improving himself, but it meant that he didn’t envy Soonyoung enough to hate the guy.

“You think a lot of things are stupid Hao, but that doesn’t mean you get to ignore them,” Junhui reminds gently. It was true. Minghao was opinionated, and stubborn to boot. He didn’t like what he didn’t like, he was very clear about things like that. It made him unreasonable at times, but he was working on it. He was working on a lot of things honestly, as a prince, he had more worries than a regular twenty-year-old should. “Anyways, you better get going or you’re going to be scolded again.”

“Thanks mom,” Minghao rolls his eyes but leans over and gives Junhui a quick hug. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Maybe not,” Junhui frowns. “I have to put in some extra hours or I’m never going to finish my report.”

“Then I’ll sneak out and bring you dinner,” Minghao shrugs. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of dinner. They’re probably going to make me sit beside him and shit.”

“Language,” Junhui scolds. “And that’s not very princely of you – but since you’re doing it for me, I’ll ignore the underlying meaning and thank you.”

“There’s my boy,” Minghao grins before getting up. Smoothing down his rumpled shirt, Minghao half-heartedly fixes his hair before waving goodbye to Junhui who was still laying on the bed. Leaving the room, Minghao bows at Junhui’s personal guard before departing with his own. Walking through the half of Junhui’s castle, Minghao moves with a practiced ease. He knew this place just as well as he did his own, if not better. He had spent almost half of his life here, sitting and learning or playing with Junhui while their fathers talked about whatever topic they needed to discuss.

Within minutes, Minghao finds himself in front of a wooden door. It was decorated, as everything in this place was, but not as fancy as the other rooms in the hall. Granted, it was merely a study, but still, Minghao thinks that says something about the designer of the castle. Obviously, they hadn’t thought this room was too important, but to Minghao it was almost everything. It was the room he often used whenever he came to Junhui’s place to work. Within it he always felt motivated, there was something about the smell of books and a cluttered yet organized desk that made Minghao happy he could read and write. While he wasn’t a workaholic or a book worm, Minghao enjoyed his share of literature and, unlike most of the princes, actually liked finishing his reports before their deadlines.

Opening the door, Minghao notices his guest was late too before shrugging it off. Dismissing his guard to stand by the door (and reminding him to grab a chair), Minghao sits on the cushioned chair behind the desk. He watches as his guard begrudgingly grabs a wooden chair before dragging it outside. Technically, guards and soldiers were not to sit unless they were off duty. Minghao however, thought that was just stupid. You could be on guard and attentive while sitting. There was no need to force them to stand for hours on end to show discipline – at least to Minghao it wasn’t. As such, whenever he could, Minghao would order (read: force) his guards and servants to take a rest. It wasn’t much, often they wouldn’t listen to him, but Minghao’s personal guard knew first hand just how stubborn the prince could be. It was often easier to just go along with his wishes than argue against them.

Looking through the various documents on his desk, Minghao notices a couple of new files that must have been dropped off while he was out. Reading through those ones first, Minghao sorts them into the various piles on his already filled desk. Things that could be finished quickly were to his right – to be touched when he didn’t have a lot of time or in between heavier reports. Files that were important and needed his immediate attention lay in front of him. This pile fluctuated daily, sometimes it was double the height of the others, sometimes it was almost empty. Today it was on the lower end, with only a couple of reports that merely needed to be read through and edited before being sent to his father. On the left were ongoing works, things that he had to follow up for or was currently working on. Finally, on the shelf on his left side, was a smaller pile filled with things that piqued Minghao’s interest. Personal projects or beginnings of poetry littered the shelf, all things that Minghao was working on that he didn’t want others to see.

Over the years of being a public figure, Minghao had long learned that if you wanted to keep things secret, it was easiest to leave them in plain view. No one was interested in the paper on your desk, not if there was a locked cabinet in the corner. In that way, Minghao kept various locked boxes and files scattered around his belongings. They didn’t contain much, a couple of files and papers that were of little to no importance, but it kept snoopers away from his real secrets. It worked in two ways, both as a distraction and as an enigma. By having decoys, anyone who wanted to discover more about Minghao would be immediately drawn to them. By acting as if they hid something important, people would flock to them and Minghao’s real documents would remain untouched on the desk in front of them. Then, after they managed to get the lock open, they’d be met with a challenge. There, lying in a locked box, was a simple sheet filled with random numbers and records of sheep. Why then, was this important? Often, those set on intruding upon Minghao’s privacy would become so confused and flabbergasted at why he seemingly held such simple things important that they’d end up empty handed and walking away wondering why Minghao’s secrets were so odd. Thus, his actual mysteries remained hidden (despite, amusedly, being in clear view).

Breaking out of his thoughts by a knock on the door, Minghao marks the page he was reading of a daily report and puts it in front of him before calling for his guard to open the door. The wooden material swings open, revealing his guard along with a boy around the same age as Minghao. This one was tall, taller than his guard despite his young age (though his guard was never all that tall in the first place), and was already growing into a handsome face. Pinned to his chest was an onyx badge, representing the province he was in charge of. The shape was the same as the turquoise emblem Minghao had (though he hadn’t worn in today – it was mostly for formal occasions and though Minghao’s father constantly told him to wear it daily as a sign of his position, Minghao was too lazy to walk around with the fabric flapping against his skin) but the symbols engraved onto it were different.

“Prince Mingyu,” his guard speaks, as if Minghao hadn’t already figured that out. It was a formality, one Minghao didn’t mind all too much despite it’s inefficiency. “I’ll be outside,” Minghao’s guard bows as Mingyu awkwardly stands there, not knowing whether he should move or not.

“His guard?” Minghao ignores Mingyu in lieu of addressing his guard.

“Outside,” Minghao’s guard remains bowing and stares at the floor. “I told him you requested for no staffs or guards to be in the room while the lesson ensued.”

“Perfect, thanks,” Minghao nods. “You can go now.” The guard straightens up, slightly bowing to Mingyu before leaving and closing the door. The two princes remain in silence, Minghao staring at Mingyu while the other boy awkwardly rakes his eyes around the room. He examines the shelves and books in silence, though Minghao can tell he’s obviously feeling shy and out of place but the slight fidgeting of his hands behind his back. “You can sit,” Minghao says, voice breaking through the quiet suddenly. Mingyu starts slightly and Minghao resists the urge to smile.

Watching as Mingyu moves to sit down, Minghao notes that for all the regality the other boy emits, his gait was quite clumsy. Minghao knew not everyone was as elegant as him or Junhui. The two princes were known for their graceful and elegant movements – something attributed to the fact that theirs was the easternmost provinces and had been heavily influenced by the country beside them. Both Junhui and Minghao always moved silently, startling those that weren’t aware of their presence. Even the other princes had to admit that their movements were almost breathtaking to watch – even if they were just walking. And so Minghao knew not everyone could be graceful (though, personally, he thought any member of the royal family should be able to at least walk somewhat decently).

Hansol, for example, the last prince he had been in charge of tutoring, walked in the slowest manner Minghao had ever seen. It was as if he didn’t care, and that air of indifference bled into the way he moved. Slow, languid motions made up Hansol’s movements. Not exaggerated or sophisticated in the way that Junhui sometimes did (which reminded Minghao of a cat stretching), but in the sense that he had all the time in the world. Then again, Hansol had always been an interesting fellow. Filled with strange yet intriguing notions, Minghao had warmed up to the younger prince by the end of his stay. Though he was often thinking about something else and constantly had his attention elsewhere, Hansol proved himself to a strong individual with a matureness that surpassed Minghao’s.

This one though, moved as if he wasn’t sure of himself. He was clumsy, Minghao could already tell he’d be cleaning up after Mingyu from a single look. However, there was something in his movements that made Minghao interested. A kind of childish innocence, Minghao wants to say even if he felt as if that wasn’t all. Regardless, Minghao wasn’t keen on spending too much time with Mingyu. He and Junhui often took the other princes in for a couple of weeks in order to teach them of their culture. It was something everyone had to go through, Minghao himself had spent several months touring the country and experiencing the cultures of the other provinces. In Junhui and Minghao’s case however, as their states were more Eastern influenced than the others, the other princes would make visits more frequently in order to fully understand the culture and be able to make appropriate deals with the neighbouring country.

“So,” Minghao clears his throat. He usually wasn’t too talkative. He liked a good conversation now and then, but he didn’t like idle chatter. Small talk was the death of him, as was having to get to meet new people. Some would say that he made a bad politician, but Minghao knew how to make connections. He could speak to others if he wanted to, and was quite good at it, it’s just that he often didn’t like it. So, while he would make speeches and arrange deals with other provinces, when he got out of the spotlight, Minghao usually kept to himself or those close to him. As such, he hated when he had to take care of any prince who was visiting.

This time was even worse if you asked Minghao. He wasn’t even in charge of this province, he had just been visiting with his father and was planning on spending lots of time with Junhui. They had made plans to walk around the streets and go exploring in the forest that surrounded the town, but apparently, the universe had other plans. Right after Minghao arrived, two other princes made their presence known. Prince Wonwoo had come from his province on the other side of the country. He was here on a larger trip to some place out of the nation, but had stopped by in order to stock up on supplies and pay his respects to Junhui’s father. As such, Junhui was tasked with taking care of him and making sure he was entertained before he left. Then, not only did Minghao had to be robbed of his cousin (though he would never openly tell Junhui he felt lonely), Mingyu had to arrive for his yearly visit to the Eastern provinces. Thus, Minghao was told by his father and Junhui’s to look after the boy until Wonwoo left and Junhui could return to his actual duties. It was bullshit, Minghao liked to complain to his guard. They should’ve just planned things better.

“You’ve been here before?” Minghao starts off, not really knowing what to do. Usually he had time to prepare for another prince. He’d spend weeks reading up on them, getting to know their personalities through reports and rumours, so that he’d have at least an idea of what he was dealing with. It wasn’t the best way to go about things. Often, rumours were wrong or exaggerated. Take Soonyoung for example. He had come to visit Minghao’s province a year back, and Minghao was worried he wouldn’t be able to keep up. Not only was Soonyoung a prodigy along with Jihoon and Seungcheol, gossip also labelled him as an energetic, hyper boy who was loud and talkative. Minghao wasn’t sure how he’d be able to handle that, but when Soonyoung actually came, Minghao found out that the rumours were wrong. Well, partly.

Soonyoung was quite loud. He was outspoken and liked to meet new people. He had within him a certain energy that made you smile and feel relaxed, but he wasn’t like that all the time. Minghao soon found out that behind doors, Soonyoung was a lot quieter and reserved than the public saw him as. Some days Minghao would be the one initiating conversation, bringing Soonyoung out of the self-contemplating zone he got in when he was reviewing his actions. Eventually, Minghao realized that while Soonyoung was energetic, he was also quite mature and serious. He knew when work had to be done and could finish it quickly and efficiently. He wasn’t absentminded or aloof, nothing like the hyperactive teen people called him. Minghao ended up respecting Soonyoung a great deal, liking how he was the perfect blend of friendly and determined. Hopefully, Mingyu would end up the same way. Then again, Minghao didn’t have anything to base Mingyu’s personality off of – a blessing and a curse depending on how you looked at it.

“Yeah,” Mingyu clears his throat. “I’ve visited Junhui twice before. I don’t think I’ve ever been to your province though.”

“No, I would have known,” Minghao resists the urge to roll his eyes. Junhui scolded him tons about it before, how Minghao’s snarky personality often made people turn away from him before they could really get to know the prince. Their loss, Minghao had replied, but he saw Junhui’s point. Minghao was more than just an asshole, surprisingly, and he realized after the conversation with Junhui that maybe he should start letting people know that. “So, you know the basics?”

“Yeah,” Mingyu nods, “uh, yes. I mean yes.”

“No need to be so formal,” Minghao does roll his eyes this time. “We’re the same age, right?” Mingyu nods. “That means we’re pretty much on the same line of hierarchy or whatever. Just be casual.”

“Easier said than done,” Mingyu grins hesitantly. Minghao smiles at that, and it relaxes Mingyu a bit. “Is that why you didn’t allow our guards to be in here?”

“I just don’t like people breathing down on my neck,” Minghao shrugs. “I love my guard and all – he’s been with me through a lot – but sometimes it feels like he’s more like another caretaker. I could do without another pair of eyes watching me and waiting for me to mess up.”

“Oh,” Mingyu blinks. “I never thought about it that way.”

“What do you mean?” Minghao looks at Mingyu curiously. Now this was something interesting.

“Well,” Mingyu starts, drumming his fingers on his thigh as he thinks. “I’ve always been close to my guard, it’s kind of hard not to. I don’t see him as a supervisor though. Sure, we’re not really friends because, well, I’m basically his employer, but he’s not exactly some staff member that’s just here because he has to be you know? He’s an authority figure, and I respect him for that, but he doesn’t _just_ have to be that.”

“You’re saying,” Minghao pauses, eyebrows knitting together, “that even though he’s there to look after you, you can ignore that?”

Mingyu grins a little, a goofy looking smile that shows off his canines and makes Minghao’s heart tense a little. “Kind of. He’s human, like you or me. Just because I’m a prince doesn’t make him any lower or higher than me, you feel? So, like, I guess I just see him as that. An equal. He’s not there to judge me and record my progress any more than I’m there to make sure he does his job properly.”

“Huh,” Minghao blinks, eyes shifting away from Mingyu’s face. “You’re purposely ignoring the fact that he’s only there to keep you safe then? He might not actually have feelings for you past his job.”

“True,” Mingyu frowns slightly, before a happier expression takes over his face. “But there’s also a chance that he might actually see me as someone he cares about. Sure, he started thinking of me as a charge, but feelings can change. Your initial opinion of something and your final one may not be the same, and to say that you can even have a ‘final’ opinion about something is wrong.”

Minghao begrudgingly agrees with that. “People do change,” he says, and stops when Mingyu looks at him with something in between a smile and a smirk. “You have an interesting look on life,” Minghao says, changing topics. He had never thought about things that way. Maybe it was because he was a realist, looking at things as they were. Long ago Minghao had read a book detailing how your emotions could affect the way you looked at things, and he had agreed. Minghao tended to be pessimistic, cynical in a way. As such, he observed the events surrounding him in a negative light. He had never quite given too much attention to changing that, citing it as how he was as a person.

Mingyu though, appeared to be the opposite. He saw things through a positive manner, but not ignorantly so. It was as if he had seen the darkness and negative side of life, and _still_ continued to believe that people could be good. It took a certain kind of strength to do that, Minghao thinks as he observes Mingyu, and the slender male guesses that was the kind of purity he had seen in the taller boy when Mingyu first walked in.

“So,” Mingyu speaks up, looking a lot more relaxed than he had when he was introduced. “What’s up first?”

“Uh,” Minghao blinks. “I’m not really sure.” Mingyu laughs at his honesty, shocking Minghao. The laugh wasn’t condescending in any way, more of a happy little thing that made Minghao grin as well. “Hey, I don’t know everything,” Minghao defends himself even though Mingyu hadn’t said anything.

“I know,” Mingyu replies. “No one knows anything really.”

“Indeed,” Minghao nods. “Well, first things first,” Minghao stands up, putting his work aside for now (though, technically, this was part of his job too). “I want to go walk around in the gardens.”

“Perfect,” Mingyu grins. “I was going to suggest that anyways.” Minghao grins at that. Maybe Mingyu wasn’t going to be that bad after all.

 

 

“Didn’t you say you were going to bring me dinner?” Junhui sits down across from Minghao, surprising the younger prince. He looks up from his plate of breakfast, eyeing Junhui’s unruly hair distastefully before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.

“It’s breakfast,” Minghao says in lieu of a reply. Junhui sighs, digging into his own meal rather forcefully. “Are you mad at me? I don’t remember promising you dinner.”

“That’s because you did it a _week_ ago,” Junhui huffs. “And I never got it.”

“A week ago? Why are you mad now then?” Minghao blinks. “It’s not good to hold grudges.”

“I _know_ that,” Junhui sighs. “I’m the one who told you that. Remember me? Your precious cousin that watches over you like a deer over her doe?”

“What an odd simile,” Minghao observes.

Junhui groans, attracting stares from some staff members also eating breakfast. Technically, Minghao and Junhui should’ve been eating in another room, away from the public hall where staff members and lesser nobles ate. There was a more private, smaller room where the royal family and friends usually had their meals, but Minghao found it too uptight and formal so he liked to eat here – even if the other inhabitants of the room gave him weird looks and vacated the half of the room where he was sitting.

“Not the point,” Junhui points at Minghao with his fork.

“That’s rude,” Minghao says, causing Junhui’s head to drop and hit the table. It doesn’t phase Minghao however. Junhui was always the dramatic one, liking to blow things up out of proportion. Sometimes it hurt him, the older boy would take court gossip a little too seriously and Minghao would have to comfort him and beat up whoever spread the rumour in the first place. Other times, it was harmless and maybe even a little amusing. Now was one of those times.

“Once again,” Junhui says, words distorted from the fact that his face was squished against the wooden table. “Not the point.”

“What is then?” Minghao finally gives in and plays along with Junhui’s act. The older boy was never one to be blunt or straightforward. He liked to dance around the truth, spinning circles around whoever he was speaking with. It worked in his favour a lot of the time, allowing him to confuse the other person until they agreed to whatever Junhui was proposing without realizing they had given more than what was needed. Junhui was kind of a genius that way, able to bend someone’s words and twist their logic until they ended up agreeing with him. Often, Junhui came out of discussions as the ultimate champion. He got more than he gave, and always wanted what he got. A little sneaky, but Minghao could respect it. Unless, of course, it was being used against him.

“You know, I always thought you were more grateful than that,” Junhui starts, leading off in a seemingly random direction. Minghao sighs internally. Junhui always had a plan in mind – though his mind was an odd one and worked in ways no one else could even fathom – and though, at first, what he was talking about might not seem relevant, in the end, it always was.

“Junhui,” Minghao warns, not wanting to deal with a longwinded conversation only to find out that Junhui was mad because he took his favourite fork or something. “I _will_ leave if you don’t tell me why you’re angry.”

“I’m not _angry_ Hao,” Junhui pouts, “just disappointed. I thought I was worth more you see–”

“Wen Junhui I swear to _God_ ,” Minghao groans.

“Okay fine, no need to use the full name,” Junhui shrugs. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Mingyu haven’t you?”

“Have I?” Minghao questions, trying to think. “Isn’t that my job though?”

“Sure,” Junhui rolls his eyes, “but you were also complaining about it like it was the last thing you ever wanted to do last week. Now you chase after him like a starving man would chase bread.”

“That’s not true,” Minghao says automatically. “And that’s a stupid comparison. Bread can’t run.”

“Just like you can’t run from the web Mingyu’s trapped you in,” Junhui notes. “And it is. The fact that you don’t even remember promising to bring me dinner last week proves it. You, Xu Minghao, never go back on your promises. Not if you can help it. And you forgot your promises altogether in order to spend more time with Mingyu. Either that means you’re being controlled by magic – which I doubt – or you actually like the kid.”

“I tolerate him,” Minghao states, though the look on Junhui’s face clearly shows that he doesn’t believe a word Minghao says.

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Junhui replies. “You’re fond of him, aren’t you?”

“He’s… interesting,” Minghao gives up, leaning back and placing his fork on the table. “I enjoy talking to him.”

“You don’t think he’s handsome?” Junhui prompts, causing Minghao to look up sharply. “Hey, I know an attractive guy when I see one. And this is coming from me – the handsomest guy in the country.”

“That’s a self-proclaimed title.”

“I never said it wasn’t,” Junhui grins. “But I don’t see you refuting it.”

“That Mingyu is handsome?”

Junhui smirks. “No, that I’m attractive. But that too, I guess. Goes to show that you do think he’s handsome then.”

“I don’t,” Minghao immediately says – just for the sake of arguing. Mingyu was attractive. He had a handsome face, along with a tall and muscular figure. Not so much that it was too much, but enough so that he definitely _looked_ strong. Minghao had found himself admiring Mingyu’s face and body more often than not lately, in midst of their talking. Junhui wasn’t wrong in that aspect, they had been spending a lot of time together. Usually, when Minghao had to take charge of another prince, he would spend as little time as possible with the other. That meant escaping into his room during meal times and making himself scarce if they hadn’t planned any meetings or events that day. This time though, Minghao found himself looking forwards to seeing Mingyu again and even worse, making plans with the other prince on days where he didn’t need to look after him.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking a person Hao,” Junhui laughs. “It’s this thing you’ve never tried called friendship.”

“I’m friends with you,” Minghao protests – albeit weakly.

“I have to tolerate you, we’re related,” Junhui points out. “Besides, it’s good to have someone your age. It’s more comfortable that way I guess.”

“I guess,” Minghao frowns. “Mingyu is kind of nice.”

“There you go!” Junhui cheers, causing someone to mutter under their breath. “That’s the spirit my child,” Junhui leans closer. “And then if you ever want to get closer and move to the next step, you can come ask me for some advice.”

“And who made you the expert in that field?” Minghao raises an eyebrow.

“Wow, I thought you would hit me for hinting that you and Mingyu would make a good couple,” Junhui blinks, before moving back instinctively. Lucky for him, his reflexes save him from a rather forceful punch from Minghao.

“I never said I wanted to,” Minghao grimaces, “do _that_ with him. I just said I like him – as a friend.”

“You’re cute,” Junhui coos. “And you know what they say, first comes friendship – but who knows where that’ll lead.”

“Literally no one says that.”

“I just did,” Junhui sticks his tongue out. “Anyways, I’m going to go be sad and lonely because I’m being ignored in exchange for a hot new beau but it’s okay, I’ll be here when he leaves and you get all heartsick and stuff. See you!”

“Junhui!” Minghao shouts, eyes narrowing when Junhui hops away from Minghao and runs full sprint out of the hall. Everyone is looking at them now, eyes moving between Junhui’s retreating figure and Minghao’s flushed face. Grumbling to himself, Minghao takes his and Junhui’s plate and dumps it into the bin for dirty dishes before leaving. He would have left Junhui’s dishes because that jerk didn’t deserve anything but that would just make more work for the kitchen workers and Minghao was embarrassed but not impolite.

Walking away from the kitchen area, Minghao retreats into his own mind. He enjoyed Mingyu’s presence, more so than most of the people Minghao knew. It was odd, how quickly Minghao had warmed up to the other boy. While he enjoyed some princes more than others (Hansol and Soonyoung for one), it took a long time for Minghao to be truly comfortable around them. Soonyoung and him had only just started visiting each other without political pleasantries – and they had known each other for a long time. And even though Minghao liked Hansol, he still wasn’t sure whether he would be okay spending an entire day alone with the other prince. The only person Minghao truly felt safe and comfortable with was Junhui, but lately, Mingyu was making his way into that area.

Even though they had only known each other for a week or so, Minghao felt as if Mingyu was closer to him than Soonyoung was. Minghao wasn’t sure what it was about the other male, but something about them clicked. They were so alike in so many different way, yet their opinions were always the exact opposite. Maybe it was because they were the same yet different, but Minghao always found himself having pleasant banter or debates with Mingyu over the smallest things. It made him feel like a little kid again, when things didn’t have an underlying meaning behind them and he could just argue with someone else whether or not ladybugs could swim or not.

Honestly, Minghao just really liked Mingyu’s presence – whether that be his face or his mind. And, though his face was quite a plus, Minghao thinks, above all, it’s Mingyu’s optimistic innocence that draws him in. It was the first thing he had noticed (other than the notion that Mingyu was clumsy – which was, sadly, very true) and Minghao loved it. It was a breath of fresh air from his own negativity, and to hear Mingyu’s perspective on things Minghao had never thought about drew him in. Minghao thinks, belatedly, that without Mingyu’s outlook, he’d be just as annoying as the other people Minghao had to deal with daily. But Mingyu was different – as Minghao had thought many times before. They were so similar yet this little thing, the way they saw the world, was so drastically opposing that it made Minghao giddy. If he was as dramatic and cheesy as Junhui (and not denying the little jump in his heart he felt whenever he saw the other male) he would even dare to say that he had found his match – his soulmate.

“Minghao!” Speak of the devil. Minghao turns around, face lightly flushed due to his thoughts. Running towards him excitedly is the root of his concern. Mingyu grins dashingly as he slows down – only to misjudge the amount of distance left. Slamming into Minghao, the two stumble, Minghao’s arms tangling themselves into Mingyu’s, before they regain their balance. Minghao breaths a sigh of relief as neither of them had fallen, before realizing he was holding onto Mingyu’s arm quite tightly. Letting go quickly, Minghao takes a step backwards and fixes his clothes while Mingyu apologizes for the crash.

“Still as clumsy as ever I see?” Minghao grins. Mingyu pouts like that, kicking the floor not unlike a child (and Junhui called _him_ childish) as he grumbles something about bad depth perception. “At least we’re unharmed – this time.”

“Listen,” Mingyu starts, only to grin helplessly when Minghao bursts out laughing. “Stop poking fun at my flaws.”

“It’s the only thing I can do, you don’t have much of them after all,” Minghao says casually, before realizing what had come out of his mouth. Eyes widening, Minghao’s mouth hangs open as he frantically tries to find something to say – anything – only to be stopped by Mingyu’s wide smile.

“Thanks, you’re not bad yourself,” the other prince states, before grabbing onto Minghao’s arm and pulling him along. Blinking, Minghao practically trips over his feet in his surprise. Catching him once again, Mingyu entwines their fingers together. “So you won’t fall,” Mingyu clarifies when Minghao gives him an odd look. Minghao grumbles at the act, but lets Mingyu swing their clasped hands nonetheless.

The other boy was weird. Mingyu didn’t understand the concept of personal space – and Minghao thought Junhui was clingy. Mingyu though, was on another level. From constantly feeling the need to be holding Minghao to deciding that his lap was a perfectly fine place for the slender male to sit, Minghao couldn’t help but feel flushed in Mingyu’s presence. It had nothing to do with whatever Junhui had implied earlier, Minghao was sure of that, kind of. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t so sure what he wanted from Mingyu, but Minghao was sure that this whole constant touching thing wasn’t going to help.

“Oh, also,” Mingyu speaks up, causing Minghao to look up from where he was glaring at the ground in thought. Looking around, Minghao realizes that Mingyu had led them to the garden – the first spot Minghao had shown him last week. The revelation brings a smile to Minghao’s face as, expectedly, Mingyu guides them through the various bushes and flower patches in the courtyard before the end up in a secluded section away from the castle.

It wasn’t quite an alcove, more like a hidden corner guided by a large bush. Since the plant was so large, no one had realized that there was a bit of space behind it – enough for two or three people to lay comfortably. Mingyu had been the one to find it. It was their second day, and Mingyu was growing tired to practicing the Eastern language. Minghao had agreed to take a break and walk around the garden. While doing so, Minghao had pushed the taller boy for teasing him – only for Mingyu to trip over his feet and fall into the bush. When Mingyu fell through and disappeared into the other side, Minghao grew worried and called out. Then, to his surprise, Mingyu’s hand stuck out of the bush to pull him in.

“What?” Minghao asks after they get settled. They’re sitting across from each other, leaning on the solid wall of hedges (the bus was in a corner), while their legs lay side by side. “What did you want to tell me?”

“Oh yeah,” Mingyu grins. “Good news.” Looking over at Mingyu’s grinning face, Minghao raises an eyebrow. Over the course of the week, Minghao had learned that there weren’t a lot of things Mingyu knew that Minghao didn’t. He wasn’t stupid per say, it’s just that he wasn’t book smart (in terms of almost everything else though, Mingyu was miles ahead of Minghao – not that Minghao would ever admit that out loud).

“I’m leaving soon,” Mingyu continues.

“Fun,” Minghao replies dryly. Was that good news? Does that mean Mingyu didn’t like it here? That he was _that_ happy to leave? Realistically, Minghao knew these thoughts weren’t exactly rational. While he wasn’t the most experienced people person there was, he could read people pretty well – especially in terms of body movement. It was almost an art, the way he could so easily tell when one’s body was betraying itself (it made him really good at hand-to-hand combat for sure). Still, there was a chance he had missed something.

Maybe Mingyu didn’t enjoy Minghao’s company as much as the latter had. Perhaps Mingyu was annoyed by how sarcastic the slender boy was, and wanted to be surrounded by someone who actually complimented him every once in a while. Or maybe Mingyu had never liked him in the first place, Minghao wouldn’t have been surprised. He wasn’t, after all, one of the favourite princes. People were turned off by his sarcastic and snarky attitude, and didn’t exactly enjoy his company most of the time. Who was he to think Mingyu was any different?

“Hao, are you listening to me?” at the mention of the nickname, Minghao shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks at Mingyu. “Knew it, your eyes always get glassy when you’re off in your head,” Mingyu chuckles, “it’s kind of cute.”

“Oh,” Minghao blinks, not knowing what to say to that. Mingyu merely coos at the sound, something he had begun to do more and more regularly as of late.

“You know, I don’t know why people say you’re mean,” Mingyu muses. “All of the rumours about you made you out to be this little demon that was second to only Jihoon. But you know, you’re actually kind of cute. A little rough around the edges, but very endearing I think. Like a little kitten or something.”

“Uh,” Minghao says intelligently. He clears his throat, hoping for some of his well-known sass to kick in and give him a smart response to Mingyu’s words – only to end up thoughtless and blank. The only thing he could feel was his heart pounding.

“Like this, so cute, so adorable,” Mingyu gushes, leaning over to pull at Minghao’s cheek. “Anyways, what I was saying – you’re listening right?” Mingyu waves a hand in front of Minghao’s face, breaking through… whatever had come over Minghao. Slapping Mingyu’s hand away from his face, Minghao grimaces and says something along the lines of “I’m not cute” – only for Mingyu to begin speaking over him.

“Yeah, so I’m leaving this province, but I’m moving straight ahead onto the neighbouring one,” Mingyu explains. “Then I’m going to stay there for a month or so because my mom really likes the musical influences there and so she’s running a research program or something.”

“The neighbouring…” Minghao trails off, trying to imagine the map of the country in his head. “That’s… that’s mine.”

“That it is,” Mingyu giggles, and Minghao finds himself memorizing the way the other’s laugh sounds. “Meaning you’ll have to deal with me for a while more, you think you can handle that?”

“You’re coming to stay with me?” Minghao exclaims, a wide grin making its way across his face. Mingyu laughs at his reaction, face mirroring Minghao’s, before nodding enthusiastically. “Wait, are you leaving and travelling with my entourage?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Mingyu says, “we have to head home first. We’re going to spend a week or so there and drop my dad off, but my mom and I are coming soon after that.”

Minghao laughs delightedly at the news. “Wow, imagine that,” Minghao wonders, “you’ve never been to my place before, right? How’d you even convince your father to let you come?” While the king promoted the visiting of provinces as to establish relations, it wasn’t normal for a prince to spend too much time away from his own province. Even though they were supposed to visit each province at least once every two years, Minghao knew the others (and himself) never made consecutive visits. Otherwise their own city and provinces would feel neglected – allowing room for treason.

“Well,” Mingyu drawls, “I’ve never visited your province, the king was already hunting my dad down for that. Then my mom announced she wanted to go to study the music and I offered to go with her. My father was kind of surprised by that but he… relented after I spouted some nonsense about,” Mingyu breaks down laughing, unable to keep a straight face.

“What? What bullshit did you pull this time?” Minghao asks amusedly. While Mingyu was not the most eloquent prince Minghao had met (the only island province’s prince, Seungkwan, could talk circles around each and every one of them), he had an odd talent to convince people to believe him. Minghao likes to think it was because Mingyu resembles a small puppy (despite his size) so people end up going along with his words – much like how you would humour a child.

“I told him that I wanted to experience diplomacy,” Mingyu starts – only to be interrupted by Minghao’s snort. “I know. I think I told him, and I quote – wait, do I even have to quote myself? Regardless – I told him, ‘it would be a great way to learn new things, an exchange of ideas if you will’.”

“You didn’t,” Mingyu scoffs.

“I did.”

“And he fell for it,” Minghao shakes his head in wonderment. “Only you.”

“Well, I mean, technically I wasn’t lying,” Mingyu shrugs. “It’s just that we’re exchanging ideas on things that they don’t consider important. Like whether or not chairs have feelings.”

“They don’t.”

“They _do_ ,” Mingyu cuts in. “But anyways, that’s not the point. What’s important is that I’m going to be spending the next month wrecking havoc in your kingdom, you ready?”

Minghao grins at that, matching Mingyu’s devilish smirk with his own. He wasn’t ready, he never was. Mingyu crashed into his life, uninvited and unappreciated, but the other boy always had an odd way of turning things around. Though Minghao should have hated him and found his very presence irritating, Mingyu wormed his way into the Eastern male’s heart and made a fancy little place for himself. Ready? Minghao (and his heart) would never be ready. But he wasn’t about to let Mingyu know that.

“I think the question here,” Minghao leans in, tapping Mingyu’s nose with his finger. “Is whether or not you’re ready.”

“Oh,” Mingyu smirks, scooting forwards so he was almost directly in front of Minghao. “I’ll take you up on that challenge. Prepare yourself.”

Minghao hums, “Gladly.”

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell I was too lazy to name anything or give the provinces/country a real name so I just kept calling everything "province" and "country" or "nation" oopsie.
> 
> Also if anyone catches the reference scattered in there I'll be so happy. I'll give you a hint, it appears along with Junhui and isn't a Kpop reference.
> 
>   
> Hope you're smiling!  
> 
> 
>   
> ~ alateni  
> 


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